1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable computers designed to be moved easily such as notebook computers, and in particular to a portable computer provided with a mechanism designed to install an option unit such as a floppy disk drive or a CD-ROM drive on the main body thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Notebook computers have been widely used because of easy-to-carry size and weight. Conversely, reduction in size and weight causes difficulties in installation of option units. Therefore, there have been proposed various devices for connecting an option unit to the computer for expansion.
In an information processing device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-219676, bays for installing option units are formed in the main body. By attaching a dummy box instead of an option unit to be attached, exposed terminals and connectors are protected and the dummy box can also be used to put small articles therein.
A disk device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-044953 is incorporated in a notebook computer or the like. A stopper for regulating the forward movement from a tray disk replacing position can be moved between a first position projecting further backward from the rear end of the tray and a second position located forward from the rear end of the tray. As a result, the tray can be pulled out from a chassis longer by a moving distance of the stopper. Work for replacing the disk on the tray is thus facilitated.
A disk reading device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-204763 is designed to be capable of being attached to an electronic device in place of another external peripheral device. When a disk having such a size that the disk cannot be housed in the disk reading device is to be reproduced, reproduction is conducted in such a state that a drawer supporting the disk is pulled outside the main body of the disk reading device.
A separate function expanding device of a portable electronic device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-265336 is formed so that a portion corresponding to a port replicate device and another portion corresponding to an expansion unit may be separated. In the portion corresponding to the port replicate device, a locking means is provided. Accessory devices are thus made thin.
Eventually in these conventional devices, it is necessary to add parts, pull out a tray, or separate an expansion unit portion. When using options, the portability is reduced.
As other conventional examples, personal computers of built-in option type, cable connection type, and stack type using a docking station are known. In the personal computer of built-in option type, the external shape of the device is large and the weight is heavy, resulting in hampered portability. In the personal computer of cable connection type, since the floppy disk drive is not fixed, the floppy disk drive cannot be used in traveling.
In the personal computer of stack type having a docking station, traveling can be done while using the floppy disk drive or the CD-ROM drive mounted on the docking station. In this case, however, the weight and volume of the device as a whole are increased by not only the weight and volume of the floppy disk drive or the CD-ROM drive but also the weight and volume of the docking station. As a result, the portability is hampered.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide such a mechanism that the portability is not reduced when attaching an option unit to the computer.
According to the present invention, a portable computer is comprised of a main body thereof and a recloseable receptacle coupled to bottom of the main body, for accommodating at least one option unit when the reclosable receptacle is opened, wherein a flat bottom is provided to the main body with the reclosable receptacle closed.
The reclosable receptacle may comprise a first plate and a second plate which are rotatably coupled to each other through a hinge to form a space for accommodating at least one option unit when the reclosable receptacle is opened. The first plate is kept perpendicular to the bottom of the main body and the second plate is kept parallel to the bottom of the main body when the reclosable receptacle is opened.
The reclosable receptacle forms an option accommodation space when opened and the bottom of the main body becomes flat when closed. Therefore, an option unit that cannot be accommodated within the main body can be attached to the main body by opening the reclosable receptacle. After removal of the option unit, the reclosable receptacle can be closed to provide a flat bottom to the main body.